Viking VPN for Android

If you are looking for a roll-your-own Android VPN service, you aren't going to find a much better or more trusted service than VikingVPN.

Pros

Takes your privacy seriously: VikingVPN talks the talk about your privacy, writing it "[does] not collect information on user activity, user IP addresses, user bandwidth usage, or user log-in/log-out times." The independent VPN testing site That One Privacy Site also gives VikingVPN high marks for being one of the best and most ethical VPN providers.

Note that using a VPN doesn't necessarily guarantee your Internet activities will be hidden. Many dodgy VPN providers overpromise and underprotect. Pick a trustworthy VPN to secure your communications over a public network, bypass geoblocking, and dodge Internet filtering and censorship.

Encrypted and secure: VikingVPN, through the OpenVPN app, uses OpenVPN to create a private network using the industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption to secure your data.

Trusted, open-source client: Setting up the VikingVPN is a two-step process: You first sign up for the service and then set it up in an OpenVPN app. It's surprisingly easy to do, and VikingVPN recommends you use the OpenVPN Android app to connect to its VPN services. The app is based on the OpenVPN 2.x community source code.

Focus on reliability and speed: Networking speed with a VPN can be an issue, but the VikingVPN team makes a big deal about the speed of its connections. Its users confirm the service's speeds are more than acceptable.

SEE: The 9 Best Paid and Free Android VPNs You Can Trust

Cons

Setup requires a bit of work: Because you need to sign for the service on the VIkingVPN site and then set the VPN up in the OpenVPN app, getting going takes a bit of time. But you have the benefit of using a trusted service with an open-source app.

Not the most affordable: VikingVPN comes in at $14.95 a month, $71.70 for six months, and $119.88 for a year. The company says it needs to charge a higher rate than comparable services to maintain the quality of its network speed and reliability.

Limited locations: The company runs six servers in the U.S. and one each in Romania and The Netherlands. Those looking for more exit nodes should consider another VPN service.

Bottom Line

If you are looking for a secure and fast VPN to guard your privacy, VikingVPN is one of the best. Just expect to pay a bit more for the speed and reliability.